TREE - REGIONAL PREMIERE - BY JULIE HEBERT

WALK'N BROADWAY 

SF PLAYHOUSE - POST STREET 

"I Call it a Stoop - not a Porch

This play could have been called ROOTS - but that title has been used 

Didi, a white woman from the South shows up on a Chicago door step. Leo, a black man caring for his dementia ridden mother. He has a suitcase full of letters written by his mother to his father. At first he feigns that he doesn't know the real father is, but that proves not to be true. Despite himself he begins to bond with Didi who is his half sister. When his daughter J.J. finds another cache of letters, this time from the father. A new revelation emerges. 

A stunning Nina Ball set provides a perfect back ground for four strong performances. Although the play has a natural break, it plays without an intermission. I found that I should stay in my seat for nearly two hours. You will be well rewarded by this gripping production. 

 A highly-trafficked stage brings an amazing whirlwind message to the audience. These are not peek-a-boo tunics - however. There is someone on the stage that keeps remembering penises. I never knew that the audience was that thrilled. The stage gets hotter.  

Here's the deal. A southern white woman shows up to find out what is going on about an African-American man in Chicago. The Journalist claims to be his half-sister. Ummm- very interesting. Maybe she is and maybe she ain't. 

This stage show at (TREE) becomes a ticking instrument. There are explosive implications that will drag everyone that almost destroys the family. A generational divide tries to communicate. It's not working. 

It's a shocking ending. I almost fell off the seat. Who is she? You will run to see it! 

THE CAST BRINGS US TOUCHING MELODRAMA: 

HERE IS THE SUPREME CAST: Tristan Cunningham*, Susi Damilano*, Carl Lumbly* and Cathleen Riddley*.

Designers include: Nina Ball (Set design), Kurt Landisman (Light design), Theodore J.H. Hulsker (Sound design and Abra Berman - (Costume design

RATING: Six Stars ****** or 

Six Glasses of Champagne******

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